It is known to provide vehicle interiors with various trim assemblies to enhance the aesthetic appearance of the interior and to provide comfort, as well as convenience, to vehicle occupants. For example, many automotive vehicles include a center console or other storage device disposed between the driver and passenger seats in the front passenger compartment of the vehicle. These consoles typically comprise a console base either secured to the floor or pivotally connected between the seats, a storage cavity formed in the console base to retain items during travel and a generally rectangular lid pivotally connected to the console base extending generally horizontally across the storage cavity. The lid typically includes a padded upper portion covered with an aesthetically pleasing covering, such as vinyl or leather or other suitable materials that presents a “class A” surface. The lid is coupled with the console base so as to be moveable between an open and closed position, the contents of the storage cavity being accessible when in the open position.
The console has many functions. For instance, in addition to operating as a storage unit, the console may operate as an armrest or as a writing table or general work surface for an occupant of the front passenger compartment. Additionally, the console may include one or more cup holders, a coin compartment and other convenience features desired by vehicle occupants. More recently, the center console has been used to provide a viewing screen for onboard video entertainment systems such that the back seat occupants may view the screen.
While the convenience features incorporated into the consoles of many automobiles have been largely successful in meeting the desires and needs of the front passenger compartment occupants, providing many of these features to the second row occupants in the rear passenger compartment has proven more challenging. This is especially true, for example, for the middle seat occupant. Second row seating often is configured as a bench seat capable of seating multiple occupants. Typically, at least one end of the bench is adjacent a side of the automobile such that convenience features may be incorporated into a rear side panel and be accessible to an occupant in the associated end seat. Moreover, some of the second row seats may be adjacent the seat backs of the front row seats such that some convenience features may be incorporated therein and be accessible to the second row occupants immediately behind the seat backs. The middle seat occupant, however, or an occupant adjacent the center console typically has limited access to the rear side panels or front row seat backs thus making it difficult to provide convenience features to that occupant from these areas.
Furthermore, many convenience features incorporated into the rear of the center console for access by the second row occupants have generally not been successful. For instance, the rear of the center console is relatively low and therefore positioned such that it is difficult to access the convenience features from the second row seats. The relatively low height of the console may also cause problems with the viewing screen of the video entertainment system. For example, the low height of the viewing screen may cause some passengers to suffer from motion sickness generated by the improper sight lines of the relatively low-level viewing screen.
There is thus a need for an improved console that provides convenience features to the second row occupants that overcomes these and other disadvantages and shortcomings of present console designs.